Rhino Beetle

There is much debate as to what a rhino beetle actually is. Some say it's one of the horned Hercules Beetle: one of the strongest insects in the world. Others say that Oracytes - a nocturnal beetle that feeds off palm trees, is the rhino beetle.

If you're in the South African bush, people will tell you any beetle with a horn is a rhino beetle. Many of the ones you will see will be dung beetles: an important insect in the savannah. These amazing creatures help to break down the enormous amount of waste made by the animals. The dung beetle is an African icon, often seen rolling its ball of dung along a dusty road.

DID YOU KNOW?

What's on the Menu?

Dung beetles are coprophagous insects, meaning they eat the excrement of other organisms. Not all dung beetles eat poop their whole lives, but they all eat it at some point in their life-cycle.

Caring Parents

Dung beetles are one of the few groups of insects that give parental care to their offspring. The child-rearing tasks are often left the mother, who builds the nest and provides food for her young, but in some species the father will share some of the responsibility.

High Rollers

Some dung beetles don’t bother rolling dung balls at all. Instead, these species simply live within the dung they find instead of investing energy in moving it around.

An Ancient Insect

Evidence of dung beetles living over 30 million years ago has been found among the fossils of ancient creatures. Can you imagine the type of animal poop they had to deal with back then?

close up photo of a rhino beetle

dung beetles have an excellent and mysterious talent for navigation

photo of a rhino beetle in dung

In Africa, Rhino beetles are a nickname for dung beetles with horns

photo of a fork-horned rhino beetle

dung beetles are found all over the world but are an African safari icon

close up photo of a rhino beetle

dung beetles have an excellent and mysterious talent for navigation

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Find Out More about Rhino Beetles

If you'd like to read more about these fascinating creatures, follow the links below.

https://www.thoughtco.com/fascinating-facts-about-dung-beetles-1968119

https://www.hluhluwegamereserve.com/dung-beetle-facts/

https://wildark.org/journals/fascinating-facts-dung-beetles/